An ambitious recital of vocal and piano music was presented May 8 at Santa Rosaís Spring Lake Village by mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich and pianist Jeffrey LaDeur. The duo engaged the enthusiastic audience with scholarly friendliness and artistry in performances of Beethoven's short cycle of six song...

An entire concerto movement consisting of serene piano melodies over a soothing backdrop is probably not the first thing that springs to mind when seeing Shostakovichís name on an orchestra program, but thatís exactly what pianist Alexander Toradze delivered--twice--at Sundayís Santa Rosa Symphony c...

Mozartís enchanting Overture to his opera The Magic Flute, a miniature tapestry of gems from the 1791 work, opened the Marin Symphonyís final concert of the 2018-2019 season. Under conductor Alasdair Neale, the playing of the sprightly seven-minute piece by a reduced-size classical ensemble sparkled...

Violinist Gil Shaham may be the most modest virtuoso on the concert stage today, and it is the great music he most wishes to put forward, never himself. Generosity, a quality he is known for, was abundantly clear in Weill Hall April 26 when he performed, with pianist Akira Eguchi, a generous program...

Piano prodigies have always been a fascination for the music public, and the greatest of them (some were Mozart, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Saint SaŽns, Hofmann) went on to legendary fame. George Li, who made is local debut at a Music at Oakmont recital April 11, was a remarkable recent keyboard prodigy t...

Closing their 20th season with their usual programming aplomb, the Sonoma County Philharmonic played a provocative set of concerts April 6 and 7 in the Jackson Theater, the Orchestraís new home at the Sonoma Country Day School by the Sonoma County Airport.
Local composer Nolan Gasserís Sonoma Overt...

Returning to Weill Hall April 5 after a seven year absence, the ten singers of the Tallis Scholars brought the sacred choral tradition of Palestrina and his contemporaries to an audience of delighted music lovers. Under the direction of Peter Phillips, the 1973 founder of the group, the program was...

Closing their 87th Season March 30 and 31 the Vallejo Symphony has moved from a single weekend concert to a set of two, and the late March response was two full houses in the charming downtown Vallejo Empress Theater.
Conductor Marc Taddei opened the Sunday program with a rousing performance of B...

Exciting timbral sound and intricate counterpoint, made possible when two artists with complementary instruments play together, were richly explored by violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and guitarist Jason Vieaux March 30 in Weill Hall. Whether in close harmony, or unison, or weaving separate melodies to...

Piano quartets are relatively rare in the classical literature, and there are only about 40 compositions for the combination of piano, violin, viola and cello, mostly from the Romantic period of the mid to late 1800s. It therefore was special March 24 to hear three great works of this medium, perfor...

SUMMER SCHUBERT SUNSHINE

Though not as well known as the formidable Trio Navarro, the Amaryllis Trio has had an increasing chamber music presence since 2012 with manifold Sonoma and Marin County concerts. Sebastopolís St. Stephen's Church and the Numina Center for the Arts hosted them June 27 in a sparkling concert of four composers' compositions.

Piazzollaís popular "Four Seasons of Buenos Aires" began and ended the evening, beginning with the spring and summer movements and ending with fall and winter. This languid and at turns sprightly music was effectively played, and the syncopated rhythms were underscored throughout. The opening Allegro from Mozartís G Major Trio (K. 564) followed in a performance that was deft but marred by muddy instrumental textures and intonation.

Beethoven early C Minor Trio (Op. 1, No. 3) closed the first half. The Amaryllis caught the drama of the opening bars and the quick change to the light-hearted second theme. Violinist Lisa Doyle and cellist Wendy Reynolds played several fetching duos that echoed hints of Haydnís music, and the theme and five variations were performed with a plaintive character. The finale (prestissimo) had the required drama. The many modulations and deceptive cadences gave the work several surprises. It was playing of taste and spice, the rhythmic foundation and voice leading provided by pianist Sonia Morse Tubridy.

Two movements from Schubertís grand first trio in B-Flat Major, Op. 99, concluded the classical segment of the program. The selected sections included the spiritual Andante. Completed in 1828 in the last year of the composerís life, the piece was taken with judicious tempos that allowed the sunshine of the Viennese masterís art to have prominence. Here Ms. Doyleís shimmering high notes were telling, and there were hints of the themes in the well-known ďTroutĒ Quintet. The Andante is all song, the piano part almost unimportant against the glorious lyricism occurring in the cello and violin lines. Such music leaves the mind with difficulty.

The Amaryllisís balanced program was a happy early summer treat to an audience that was appreciative for both the performance and the eclectic repertoire.